After US-China Diplomatic Battle, Government's 'Tightrope Diplomacy' Continues

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The diplomatic engagements involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan, as well as South Korea and China, which took place respectively in the U.S. and China, concluded last week. The possibility of an early resumption of North Korea-U.S. negotiations and the reactivation of the "Korean Peninsula Peace Process" through a South Korea-U.S. summit has resurfaced.

According to diplomatic sources on the 5th, holding the South Korea-U.S.-Japan National Security Advisors meeting (on the 2nd) and the South Korea-China Foreign Ministers meeting (on the 3rd) almost simultaneously clearly illustrated South Korea’s "tightrope diplomacy" situation caught between the G2 powers. Unlike the overtly anti-China messages that emerged during the South Korea-U.S. Foreign and Security Ministers (2+2) meeting on the 18th of last month, this time no aggressive messages were issued nor was there pressure on South Korea to take sides. However, an invisible tug-of-war between the U.S. and China to draw South Korea in was evident, with the South Korea-U.S.-Japan National Security Advisors meeting emphasizing "democratic values" and the South Korea-China Foreign Ministers meeting pushing for a diplomatic and security (2+2) dialogue for the first time in six years.

Since North Korea was a major agenda item in both meetings, expectations for the resumption of the Korean Peninsula peace process have grown. The White House press statement released immediately after the South Korea-U.S.-Japan meeting included that "the three countries reaffirmed cooperation on North Korea’s denuclearization," and Suh Hoon, Director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, also stated at a briefing for correspondents that the three countries agreed on efforts for an early resumption of North Korea-U.S. negotiations. South Korea and China also confirmed their shared goal of "realizing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." Attention is also focused on whether a summit meeting will take place. With the date for the U.S.-Japan summit confirmed for the 16th, momentum is building for an early South Korea-U.S. summit, and discussions on an early visit to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping are also underway.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding this series of diplomatic developments, Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said, "Rather than calling it tightrope diplomacy, the term ‘balanced diplomacy’ is more appropriate," adding, "For South Korea, where the economy is closely tied to China and security is linked to the U.S., this is an inevitable strategy." Shin Beom-chul, head of the Foreign and Security Center at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, said, "Countries caught between great powers inevitably have to conduct diplomacy that considers the positions of these powers to some extent and seeks harmony," and added, "If South Korea can enhance its national interests by navigating between the U.S. and China with good moves, that would be positive."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.